Behavioural Insights Projects

Saving while being overdrawn costs consumers money. The interest they have to pay is far more than the interest they receive. An experiment tested two interventions aimed at encouraging consumers to use their savings to clear any overdraft, by pre-entering a repayment amount and giving explicit information about costs. These interventions lead to better choices amongst many, although not yet all, consumers. Why this experiment was conducted: saving while being overdrawn costs Dutch citizens…

Institution: Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM)

In line with the Government of Canada's National Adaptation Strategy, this project seeks to further understanding of Canadians’ awareness and adoption of measures intended to mitigate wildfire risk toward the end of supporting and empowering more widespread action. The study is a survey with an embedded randomized controlled trial component. The survey component of the study aims to address questions such as: 1. What are the barriers to more widespread adoption of wildland fire risk reduction…

Institution: Impact and Innovation Hub (IIU)- Impact Canada

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

SERNAC designed and tested Key Fact Sheets to help consumer decision-making on quoting car insurance. The study evaluated options to standardize the car insurance quotation sheet's design through a randomized online experiment with 3,008 consumers. Three prototypes were designed and tested in contrast to a representative quotation sheet currently provided by insurance companies in Chile to achieve this objective. Each prototype considered simplifying the language and standardization of the…

Institution: Servicio Nacional del Consumidor (SERNAC)

Team: Servicio Nacional del Consumidor (SERNAC)

The Municipality of Dordrecht organised a competition titled The Cleanest Neighbourhood in Dordrecht. The aim was to get residents to place less rubbish next to underground waste containers. As a result of the experiment, the amount of waste left next to bins decreased and a new social norm was established. Why this experiment was conducted: rubbish left next to waste containers Bin liners and other bags containing residual and larger waste left next to underground containers rank amongst the…

Institution: Netherlands Municipality of Dordrecht

Cambridgeshire Constabulary has noted that 1,650 hate incidents were reported within Cambridgeshire between 1st December 2019 and 28th February 2021 and the vast majority of reported incidents (1,344) were racially-based. The data indicates that since the pandemic (March 2020), incidents of Hate crime have increased for people with the following protected characteristics: disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, race, religion. These groups are already disproportionately adversely impacted by COVID-19…

Institution: Local Government Association

Team: Local Government Association

In Haiti, more than 96 percent of the population is exposed to two or more natural hazards in theirlifetime. The human and economic impacts of these hazards, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and landslides, have been severe. Between 1961 and 2012, the country experienced more than 180 disasters, causing the death of more than 240,000 people. Many disaster-related fatalities are preventable if people evacuate to a safer place in a timely fashion. However,in Haiti, due to a variety of…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

The commercialization of formula milk (FM) began in Argentina at the end of the sixties. This market has grown remarkably since then, in turn, state agencies use LF as a tool to solve or combat low-weight problems in children and who for other reasons need to supplement the diet when milk is not possible exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). The increase in LF consumption is detrimental to breastfeeding (BF). Its introduction generates a vicious circle and dependency that is difficult to reverse…

Institution: Other

Team: Behavioral Sciences and Public Policies Unit

While potential voters may register and intend to vote, many registered voters ultimately do not participate in elections. In addition, previous studies have not addressed how the impact of the text messages may vary among causal voters compared to habitual voters. Casual voters are defined as those who had previously only voted in the presidential election or major elections. Habitual voters are defined as those who have a higher propensity to vote (in this case, those who voted in each of the…

Institution: Harvard Kennedy School

Team: Behavioural Insights Group

Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050 aims to reduce energy-related environmental pollution, for example by increasing the energy efficiency of individuals, households, and companies. To help achieve this goal and raise public awareness of the issue, the Swiss energy provider Primeo Energie ran an energy-saving campaign (hereinafter referred to as the campaign) in winter 2023/24. Customers who consume significantly less energy in the winter of 2023/24 than in the winter of the previous year can…

Institution: Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE)

Team: Affective Advisory

We all know that if a 13-year-old has his mind set on something, it is quite difficult to try to change it. This is exactly the type of challenge that the Ministry of Education in Peru is approaching with students in public schools and high schools, targeting those from low-income households in particular. Teenagers often have pre-conceived ideas about their own intelligence, which influences how they react to academic challenges. If a student thinks he is not smart enough, he believes there is…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team